SPRINGFIELD –State Senator Mike Halpin attended the Illinois Fallen Firefighter Memorial Service Tuesday and met several decorated firefighters from Western Illinois.

“It was an honor to pay tribute to firefighters who sacrifice themselves protecting our communities,” said Halpin (D-Rock Island). “While we honor their memory, we must also honor and continue to support our front line men and women whose careers as firefighters are dedicated to making us safer. When it comes to fire safety in Western Illinois, we’re in good hands.”

The memorial took place at the firefighter memorial statue in front of the Illinois Capitol. The bronze statue is a depiction of several firefighters in action, saving a child. The statue is surrounded by 2,400 red bricks engraved with the names of contributors.

SPRINGFIELD – Third-party vehicle warranties are often opaque, contain exclusions, deductibles and difficult claim processes that may not be apparent to the average consumer. State Senator Mike Halpin is leading the effort to protect consumers from these predatory third-party vehicle warranties.

“This legislation will ensure folks know what they’re buying when they purchase one of these third-party warranties for their vehicle,” said Halpin (D-Rock Island). “Too often these warranties use fine print, vague terminology and hidden fees to take money from people without providing meaningful coverage.”

House Bill 2338 would provide, at the customer’s request, a copy of the vehicle warranty contract and a written disclosure prepared by the third-party provider summarizing all costs the consumer may incur under the warranty. These provisions would provide transparency regarding the warranty before a customer purchases it, giving the consumer more choice and a better state of mind down the road.

ROCK ISLAND – State Senator Mike Halpin has secured over $3.5 million dollars to revitalize 15^th Avenue in East Moline and a reconstruction of Main Street in Monmouth.

“These projects are an exciting development for East Moline and Monmouth, we have a chance to preserve our local culture while dressing up our towns for the future,” said Halpin (D-Rock Island). “This grant money will go to good use making our towns hubs of commercial activity and pleasant downtowns for folks in the community.”

The grant includes $2 million for East Moline. Improvements will support economic growth by transforming 15th Avenue – the city’s “Main Street” – into an accessible, connected corridor that prioritizes space for pedestrians, shops and restaurants. In addition, Monmouth will receive $1.5 million. The Monmouth project includes the reconstruction and streetscaping of Main Street from 2nd Ave. to 1st Avenue and from Archer Avenue to Boston Avenue, with the previously reconstructed Public Square between the two sections of the project. These renovations will spruce up and revive the downtown area.

SPRINGFIELD – Working alongside the hospitality and retail industries, State Senator Mike Halpin outlined his measure at a press conference Thursday to create a more targeted approach to combatting human trafficking.

“We must empower our local governments and law enforcement to keep tabs on businesses to make sure every instance of human trafficking is accounted for and the perpetrators are brought to justice,” said Halpin. “By allowing localities to monitor hotels, restaurants and truck stop training, we can create a more targeted approach to combatting these terrible crimes.”

While current law requires human trafficking recognition training at hotels, restaurants and truck stops, Halpin’s measure would give municipalities the legal authority to act if a business is not complying the training laws. In addition, the new law would allow local governments to issue fines of up to $1,500 per offense.

“The only acceptable amount of human trafficking is absolutely zero. As legislators, we have a responsibility to protect the most vulnerable in our community from human trafficking,” said Representative Gregg Johnson (D-East Moline). “This legislation expands protections to prevent people from becoming victims of sexual and economic exploitation.”